The Man Who Can't Be Moved
by k3josai
Summary: One step forward means one step ahead. But how can Clark move on when he realizes each day that he loves his best friend even more? Farm boy Clark Kent meets city girl Lois Lane. Who would have thought that destiny has a plan ahead of them? Can he wait until he sees her again?
1. Part 1

**Title**: The Man Who Can't Be Moved (A companion fic to "If You and Me")

**Written by**: k3josai

**Beta by:** superlc529

**Pairing**: Smallville Clark and Lois (Alternate Universe)

**POV**: Clark Kent

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: One step forward means one step ahead. But how can Clark move on when he realizes each day that he loves his best friend even more?

Farm boy Clark Kent meets city girl Lois Lane. Who would have thought that destiny has a plan ahead of them? Can he wait until he sees her again?

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. The characters are owned by CW/WB/DC. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

**Special Thanks to:**

**Superlc529 – **You're the best! Thanks for your patience and spending some time with me so you can beta this fanfic. I know it isn't that easy because our time zones are different. Maraming salamat. Without you, I can't find the courage to post my fics online. ^_^

**Malvill Aces** – Thanks Ate Angel for the music video. ^_^ I really do want to do a collab video with you for this fic, but my 'real' job didn't permit me to do so. I've been so busy with work. I do know even without me, your video can stand out. Whether you admit it or not, video editing is one of your talents. ^_^

**Credit: For the Banner – Allie-O of deviantart**

**Authors' Notes:**

This is an AU fic of Smallville. So you can notice the difference in the timeline and character references. Chloe Sullivan didn't exist here, but her parents did. There are mentions of Martha and Jonathan Kent, General Sam and Ella Lane, Wes Keenan, Oliver Queen, Diana Prince, Bruce Wayne and Richard White. Lois and Clark are both the only child of their corresponding parents.

This fic is (partially) inspired by Superman No. 14 (New 52 series) which led me to believe that Clark despite of kissing Diana, deep inside him he was falling for his best friend, he's just trying so hard to cover it up. I will mention the specific lines which I love so much.

_**Her name is LOIS LANE.**_

_**She's an ARMY BRAT.**_

_**Not even thirty and she's already won her first PULITZER.**_

_**The nightly news magazine she executive produces on GBS has been nominated for an EMMY.**_

_**She's as comfortable interviewing the PRESIDENT in the White House as she is falling behind enemy lines in QURAQ.**_

_**Let's just say, there's ONLY ONE Lois Lane and leave it at that.**__**As her BEST FRIEND, he has seen her at her BEST and at her WORST.**_

_**As SUPERMAN, he's caught her in his arms while she suffered from HYPOTHERMIA at 40,000 feet.**_

_**As Clark Kent, he escorted her to the last royal wedding where she committed the international faux pas of looking BETTER than the bride.**_

_**No matter how many times he lays eyes on her-**__**  
**__**even as he does with his x-ray vision-**__**  
**__**he's always taken aback at the realization that Lois Lane is the most AMAZING woman he has ever met.**_

\CKLL/

**THE MAN WHO CAN't BE MOVED**

PART I

**Metropolis, 2002**

What was I doing? Was it really worth it to do it again? It didn't matter. My opportune moment passed me by and I could never get it back. It wasn't right to try to turn back time. I'm not God. I took my glasses off. I couldn't see out of them anymore. They were getting foggy due to the moisture forming in my eyes.

We had gone through so much together. Thinking about everything we had been through was one of the constant reminders that I still had a good life – though sometimes it wasn't fair. I wiped my glasses with my handkerchief. I put them back on once I was satisfied that they were clear enough for me to see her face among the crowd.

I wouldn't though.

I closed my eyes and pushed a button on my cell phone. I lost count how many times I listened to her voice – the voice that kept me going since the last time I saw her smiling face.

_"Hey, Clark, I know this isn't the right time or the right place to say this…" _

She paused for awhile; I knew she was trying to get rid of a lump in her throat. She was always like that when she was uncomfortable or didn't want to say something.

_"I wish I was in Diana's shoes so you'll like me the way you like her. But I know that's not possible. So this is why I hope you'll understand why I need to distance myself from you. Don't worry, I can heal fast. I'm Lois Lane, remember?" _

I fully understood how dumb I was to just let her go that easy. All I really wanted was to save her from too much pain if I wasn't able to defeat Doomsday a month ago. The Kryptonian beast was stronger than me and it didn't have any conscience. It was a killing machine. After all my efforts to save her from any agony and pain, in the end, she still suffered from all the foolish decisions I made. What kind of best friend was I? I couldn't be her hero. I failed her.

_"I wish you all the happiness in the world."_

I heard the clicking sound; I felt my own happiness slipping away. I didn't even feel the tightness in my chest until I felt the tears start to flow freely down my cheeks.

Who would have thought that the hero whom the world looked up to would be sitting in a chair beside the bed of a non-moving body with all my weaknesses exposed?

I reached for her. The warmth emanating from her small hands gave me some kind of comfort that one of these days she would wake up. If only she would let me see those lovely hazel eyes again, see that smile that would make me forgot all the problems of the world; and let me hear her quip of telling me to _'get a life, Smallville_._'_

I've watched her sleep since the first day I brought her here. There wasn't any change in her condition except her bruises were all lightened and her surface wounds healed. Her broken rib and left arm were still in the process of healing. The doctors said she was indeed lucky despite of the force of impact of Doomsday's throw. Her brain was actively functioning and she would be able to survive this incident.

\CKLL/

_**Metropolis 2002 – One Month Ago**_

_I fought so hard. My whole body ached. This pain felt akin to someone stabbing kryptonite in my gut. I punched the beast directly in its stomach and then its face. I wasn't sure if the blood on its face was his or mine. My knuckles were bleeding. My suit was torn. I was breathing so hard. I was exhausted but I couldn't give up._

_The destruction Doomsday made all over the city was already too much. If I died before it does, it could kill more and more people. It could tear down the Earth, the only planet that gave me shelter after my own planet, Krypton, exploded when I was a baby._

_My left eye was swollen shut. I wasn't able to see its next attack. It surprised me from behind and threw me into another building. Buildings collapsed. My world shook from the impact. Rubble was all around me and on top of me. I tried to stand, but my knees were already weak. Dust lifted everywhere._

_Earlier, I convinced every policeman to block all the entrances and exits of the area we were fighting, to not let anyone get near the battleground. It was too risky. I coughed so hard. I started to crawl to get away from all the dust in the air. I stopped for awhile, silently praying that my parents weren't watching the news. I couldn't bear to let them see how beaten I was. I promised them that no matter what, I would keep Earth safe._

_I couldn't break that promise._

_I shut my eyes as I whispered her name, "Lois."_

_I thought I heard her say my name seconds ago. I could never give up; the world depended on me so much. Diana was also there to help me, but it was my battle. Her strength wasn't enough to defeat the monstrous beast. I must be the one who should end it, not Wonder Woman._

_I took another deep breath, as I thought about what I had done. At first, I asked Diana to pretend that we were a couple so that Lois would be able to forget about me. I should have been happy knowing Lois felt something for me – I'm her Smallville. A little while back, when I was looking for some notes for my article, I accidentally found a crumpled-up piece of paper in Lois' trash bin under her desk. I recognized her penmanship through the murky pencil strokes._

_It said, __"If only it were easy to say how I really feel about you. If it were, I would do it right away. But it isn't. You said I'm the most courageous person you know. You're wrong. I'm the most cowardly woman you've ever met. And I'll forever be wishing on a falling star that maybe someday, my surname will become Lane-Kent."_

_The letter was bittersweet. I had wished she felt that way about me for the longest time, but the timing was terrible. Why did it have to be when I already knew my fate? I was destined to do battle with Doomsday. Its strength could match or surpass mine._

_If I died, Lois would forget about me and move on like the rest of the world. If I won, I still couldn't be with her because of my duty to protect the world. Lois was an amazing person and it wasn't right that she wouldn't be first on my priority list. It wasn't fair because she deserved better than what I could provide her._

_Diana had been a good friend of mine and for a moment, due to our loneliness and internal struggles of not being human, we thought we could be more than friends. That short period of time ended in hurting the people around us. They were not just acquaintances but very good friend of ours who stood with us throughout the test of time._

_I needed to apologize to Diana for dragging her into this mess. I needed to tell Bruce that it was my fault that I couldn't tell he had feelings for Diana. If I could survive this, I needed to tell Lois that what I feel for her was beyond forever. I wondered how I could correct my wrongs if I gave up now._

_Using all the strength I could muster, I stood up and let my instincts lead me._

_ I didn't know if I was just imagining it, but I heard Lois' heartbeat. It wasn't as calming as before. It was erratic like mine. Then and there, I realized she wasn't too far away from where I was standing. I was right. She was standing not five meters away from where I stood. She shouldn't be here. I wasn't strong enough or fast enough right now to save her this time. I didn't want her to see me in this situation._

_ For a moment, my world stopped as I saw Doomsday attack Lois at lightning speed. I did my best to block the beast, but I wasn't fast enough…_

_I wasn't fast enough._

_He grabbed her and threw like a ragdoll. My blood boiled. I was enraged. My adrenaline pushed me higher than I had ever gone before. I tackled the monster and flew us both away from the Earth and into space. I was going faster than I ever had before. As we approached the sun's rays, the monster became weak. I threw him into the sun, destroying the monster._

_Exposing myself to the yellow sun gave me my strength back. The strength I needed to get back to Earth and back to the love of my life. I prayed harder than I ever had before that she was okay, though the other part of my brain told me that she was broken – possibly broken beyond repair. 'Clark, it's your fault.'_

_My heart almost stopped when I saw her lying in the filthy street. My voice was raspy and not as powerful as before, "Lois? Lois? Can you hear me?"_

_I scanned her using my x-ray vision. I closed my eyes forcefully. She couldn't be badly hurt. Through my glassy eyes, I stared down at Lois' tormented face. I was so afraid that one wrong move and I would make the damage even worse. I saw fresh blood flow from her wounded forehead. With trembling hands, I gently touched her face. _

_ "Please stay with me, Lois. Please." I could tell she was trying to move and speak, but she couldn't. My own tears were blinding me as I watched her shedding her own. I wasn't used to seeing Lois like that. I always remembered her smiling face, even during the most desperate of times. Even if things were turned upside down, she could still crack a joke and make everything right… but not tonight. Reality came down full force at how fragile life could be._

_ I cradled Lois closer to my chest. I knew she was struggling to stay conscious. My heart was beating rapidly in contrast to her. I decided to fly her away from this disaster area and to the nearest hospital. I didn't know how fast I should go. I couldn't be too fast or too slow. If I was too fast, her injury might worsen, but if I was too slow, there were chances that she wouldn't make it. Somehow, I miraculously found the middle-ground._

_ Time stood still as I looked down at her through my right eye. It was like watching a movie in slow motion. I heard the people around me in the hospital saying, 'It's Superman.'_

_I didn't answer them. My focus was on the woman in my arms, fighting for her life. Each second counted. As soon as the doctors and nurses took her and got to work, I finally felt all the stress lift away and my strength felt like it disappeared. The faces of the crowd slowly blurred away and their voices diminished to nothing. _

\CKLL/

**Metropolis – 2002 – A month after the Doomsday attack**

"Lois, you've been here a month. Please give me a sign, _any_ sign that you can hear me." I whispered softly as I held her right hand, "Please forgive me."

She wasn't responding. I wasn't aware that my shoulders were shaking until my mother touched my shoulder comfortingly.

"Clark," My mother whispered.

"Mom."

"Lois wouldn't like you hurting yourself like this."

I faced her. She leaned down and I hugged her so tight. I really needed my mother's comfort.

"Clark, just believe she will wake up soon."

"I know, Mom, it's just a matter of time." I wiped my tears and decided to stand up.

"You need to rest, Clark. Even superheroes need a break. You haven't slept since this happened, have you? You already helped the city rebuild. You've done more than enough already."

I faintly answered, "One of these days I will, Mom."

She gently stroked my hair, "Get some sleep, son."

I nodded as I took another glimpse of Lois lying in the bed before I gently closed the door.

As I walked down the hospital's hallway, I felt like she was there with me, watching and guiding me. With Lois, silence wasn't an option. She could talk a mile a minute. I smiled.

Yeah, she was really like that. For every one word I said, she already said ten. Who does that? Only Lois Joanne Lane. No matter what, she would always be my best companion. There were rare times when she could be quiet. Those were special moments like when she was busy writing her articles or when she was focusing on what I was saying to her. Yes, she was indeed one of the best listeners I've ever had, aside from my parents.

Right now, walking by myself, I still didn't feel like I was really alone. I knew she was walking beside me, enjoying a comfortable silence while munching on her favorite ice cream cone. I looked to my side and shook my head. I was imagining things. I blinked and her image disappeared before my eyes. She wasn't here with me. She was lying in a hospital bed.

I stuffed my hands in my jacket's pockets and I decided to go to a familiar place where I could be with her in my memories of us together.

I sat down on my favorite bench. I wondered why the maintenance department never bothered to at least repaint it. But I was grateful it was the same. Sometimes, I felt like some things had to stay the way they were before.

Who would have thought that this simple bench would serve as a remembrance of a past that I could never forget?

\CKLL/

TBC

Reviews are welcome!


	2. Part 2

**Title**: The Man Who Can't Be Moved (A companion fic to "If You and Me")

**Written by**: k3josai

**Beta by:** superlc529

**Pairing**: Smallville Clark and Lois (Alternate Universe)

**POV**: Clark Kent

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: One step forward means one step ahead. But how can Clark move on when he realizes each day that he loves his best friend even more?

Farm boy Clark Kent meets city girl Lois Lane. Who would have thought that destiny has a plan ahead of them? Can he wait until he sees her again?

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. The characters are owned by CW/WB/DC. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

**Special Thanks to:**

**All the readers and/or reviewers**

**Superlc529 – my betareader**

\CKLL/

**The Man Who Can't Be Moved**

PART II

_**Metropolis Centennial Park - 1992**_

_I decided to go for a walk and ended up wandering along the streets of Metropolis. I looked up and a few feet above my head, I saw a sign that said: 'Metropolis Café: The Best of the Metro.'_

_How did I end up in this far in Metropolis? How did I even end up in Metropolis? Something was terribly wrong. Was I one of the meteor-infected people from Smallville? I shook my head. Or was I just something different?_

"_Watch it, kiddo!"_

_I almost stumbled when an old, short, fat man ran into me with a coffee in his hand. I could tell it was hot because I could see steam coming out of the cup. It wasn't that cold tonight. But of course, some people were addicted to caffeine. It didn't matter what time of the year it was for some people._

_I didn't see the need for a hot beverage around this time of year. I was never really aware of the cold and I never sweated during heat waves._

_Who was I?_

_**What**__ was I?_

_My head started to hurt from thinking about all of my abilities and what abilities I might get in the future. Today I ran fast, really, really fast. What started as a short walk on the farm turned into a run. One second I was on the farm in Smallville and the next I was in Metropolis – what's normally a three-hour drive from my town. _

_I was so wrapped up in my random thoughts; I didn't even realize that I had actually bumped into the man. I stared at him with wide eyes as the hot coffee spilled onto my arm._

_I didn't feel anything. My skin didn't even redden. Was my skin made of metal? What else could I do? What else would I discover I could do tomorrow, next month, or worse, even in the next couple of hours?_

_I watched him leave with a shrug, probably just dismissing bumping into me. I'm just a little kid, after all._

_I wasn't familiar with this place; I've been here only about seven or eight times with my parents. I was ten years old, taller than most kids my age, and a little bit skinny. My mom told me that my muscles were starting to form in all the right places for farm work. _

_All I knew was that I needed to find a phone booth. I had to get back home even though I was mad at my parents for not telling me sooner that my biological parents weren't exactly from Kansas. Funny wasn't it? Who would have thought that my passion for astronomy was linked to my heritage? Who would've thought that everything we watched on the Sci-fi channel and read in books was somehow true? UFOs? Aliens? Spaceships?_

_The irony was on me._

_Maybe it was better to just stay in Metropolis for a little bit until I cleared my head. That idea lasted two seconds. My conscience wouldn't let me make my parents in Smallville worry about me. They never raised me to be stubborn and rebellious. They were the best parents in the whole wide world in their own way._

_I could hear my conscience, 'You're a minor. You can't live on your own. Not yet. Your parents love you very much!'_

_Another part of me started thinking, 'Who were my biological parents anyway? Where are they? Why did they give me up? Why did they send me here?'_

_I wanted to slap myself out of it. Was I already accepting the fact that I wasn't human? But I was human from head to toe, not those monstrous-looking creatures we always saw in movies, TV shows or comic books._

_Then I heard a voice. I didn't know how or why, but it got my attention. I realized that I had been staring blankly at the same place that old man knocked into me not two minutes ago. I shifted my attention to the owner of the angelic voice and my jaw dropped upon seeing a pair of hazel eyes gazing at me._

"_Hey!" She waved her hand in front of my face. I blinked a few times. __The girl looked like she might've been my age. She shook her head while removing her baseball cap and put it inside her backpack. I got tongue-tied at her appearance._

_"Hey!" She yelled again. "Are you from another planet or something? You keep staring at me like an idiot. Didn't your mom and dad teach you that staring is rude?"_

_She kept on babbling on. I couldn't help but smile unconsciously. I never met a girl like this before. My mom was nothing like this girl. She was soft-spoken unlike the person now glaring at me. I thought __she was indeed a pretty girl. I sighed. I think I was having my first crush… maybe that's not such a bad thing._

_She opened her bag. She must've been searching for something. It looked like she finally found it. Taking my hand without any hesitation, she slapped a tube of ointment in my palm. I furrowed my brows in deep confusion. What was I going to do with the ointment? _

_"Your arm." She started, but I didn't understand. What was wrong with my arm? I looked down, shifting my gaze from my left arm to the right._

_"Hot coffee. Arm. Ointment. Hello!" The girl stated with a hint of frustration. I shook my head. I didn't understand what she was trying to get at… then she grabbed my arm and inspected it like she was a professional doctor._

_Did I just feel something like an electric shock from the sudden touch of our skin?_

_"How?" She stared at me with eyes wide as saucers, "I saw that hot coffee spill on your arm."_

_Oh, she witnessed that incident. I shook my head again to console her that I wasn't hurt. It didn't feel right that I had made this girl worry about me. Worry? How could someone like her, a stranger, worry about someone like me?_

_"It's nothing. It won't hurt me."_

_She snorted in disbelief, "What are you? Made of steel?"_

_She shook her head. Maybe she was thinking how weird I was. Weird was already associated to the place where I was raised. If only she knew. The color in my face drained. I couldn't bear to have another person look into my eyes and make me feel any more different than I already felt._

_ Then she rolled her eyes as she took her ointment back and zipped it inside her bag. She turned around and started to walk away from me. As she took her first step away from me, I felt the need to do something. I needed to do something, so I followed her. I felt like a magnet being pulled to her. I didn't know why. Her long, dark, wavy hair was tied into a ponytail and swayed as she walked._

_Me? I was wearing a short-sleeved blue flannel shirt and baggy_ _jeans. The girl __had a jacket, jeans and rubber shoes. She was about four to six inches shorter than my five feet four inches. My dad told me, that in few years time, I would probably pass six feet. That meant I would be taller than my father._

_I've seen so many pretty girls in my town, but this city girl's beauty was incomparable. Maybe she sensed I was following her as she crossed the street because she stopped when we reached the other side of the road and turned to me._

"_I'm sorry." I said, displaying my puppy dog eyes hiding behind my glasses. My mom said that it was one of the characteristics that made girls in Smallville swoon over me, but I never noticed. I just hoped it would work on her._

_"I'll go inside. Wait here, okay?" She commanded me. How could someone like her be so bossy? But still I didn't mind. I opted to follow her order._

_"Okay." I answered shyly. I looked up and read the name of the ice cream parlor. My mouth watered a little. I love ice cream, but I remembered I didn't have any money to buy any for us. _

_"What a nerd." I heard her murmur._

_I smiled as I watched her enter the store. I had never met such an amazing girl until now. For a bit, I was annoyed by her domineering remarks. I shrugged. It didn't matter because she had something special that I had already been attracted to. I couldn't pinpoint it right now, but I had a feeling I would soon._

_I decided to stand beside a lamppost while I waited for her. It was five minutes later when she came back holding two rocky-road ice cream cones. She extended her left hand towards me. I was really surprise that she would buy me an ice cream cone. Being the gentleman I am, I felt like it wasn't right that the girl would pay for me, but who was I to refuse ice cream? _

_"I thought you might like some ice cream." She licked the one she was holding in her right hand while waiting for me to accept the other one._

_"Thank you." I said as I took her tempting offer. She nodded and turned around to cross the street. I went after her. She sat on one of the park benches. She saved the right space for me, I assumed. She certainly was a special girl. Behind that bossy and tough exterior, she was nice, sweet and to top the list – she was thoughtful._

_I didn't know how to ask her another favor after what she had just done for me. We ate in silence. I could feel her staring at me. Maybe she wanted to talk, have a conversation to kill some time._

_I held my breath, gathering some courage to speak. I released my breath, "Can I borrow some change?"_

_That wasn't what I wanted to ask. But I already said it, so I had to continue, "I need to call my parents. I didn't bring any money with me. I forgot." I scratched my head. That wasn't smooth. "I promise to pay you back when they pick me up here."_

_She rolled her eyes for the second time since I met her. That gesture was too cute and I would never ever forget that about this girl. "Do you think I'd do something like that for a stranger like you?"_

_"Yes." I said calmly._

_"How do you know?" She asked with her brows furrowed._

_"I just know." I replied without any hesitation as we both ate the last bit of the ice cream cone._

_She sighed, "You ran away."_

_"Sorry?" That didn't sound like a question. It sounded like a statement. It was my turn to look at her._

_"You ran away from a far away town. You don't even know how to live a life in the city." She surprised me again with her analysis. I could tell she was the intelligent type of kid and someday would contribute much to this city if she stayed in Metropolis._

_I smiled and repeated what she had just asked me, "How do you know?"_

_"I just know." She winked then she put her hand inside her jeans' pocket. "Where are you from?"_

_"Smallville." I replied without any pause._

_"Never heard of it. Is that in Kansas too?"_

_"Yeah, three-hour drive."_

_She nodded. "What brought you here?"_

_"I ran away." Literally and figuratively__, I added in my head. Who could do that? I could run away from my hometown to Metropolis in seconds._

"_My parents told me that I'm adopted. I was hurt because they didn't tell me sooner, so I decided to come here." __I felt a small pinch in my heart. It was partly a lie. I always knew I was adopted. My parents never kept that from me. What really shocked me was the fact that I came to Earth in a spaceship. I couldn't tell her that._

_She nodded again. I was relieved that she understood me somehow. "And you didn't bring any survival stuff?" She snorted, "Figures."_

_There she was again, her sarcastic remark coupled with hint of truth and reality. "Yeah, I don't know. I didn't think about it."_

_"But you know now. That's why you need to get a hold of your parents." She handed me some change, gently dropping it in my palm._

"_How about you?" I asked in a very light tone. Maybe I could ask her name too._

_She shrugged. "My dad and I transferred here from Washington two months ago. Like you I need some fresh air. I missed my Mom."_

_I heard the sadness in her voice, "Where is she?"_

_She blinked a few times, before she answered, "She died when I was six."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Don't be." She paused for a while. "I think you need to call your parents."_

_"Uh… Yeah… Thanks for these."_

_"Don't mention it. You're welcome."_

_Then I posed another question, "Are you going home?"_

_What I felt at the moment was indescribable. I was hoping that she wouldn't leave, not until I talked with my Mom and Dad. I really wished she would go back home where she lived because, like me, she was too young to stroll around Metropolis. It wasn't safe._

"_Maybe… I can wait until your dad gets here so you can pay me back, right?"_

_I nodded, "Right."_

_We roamed around the park until we found a phone booth. __I went inside while she stayed a few feet away to give me some privacy. Her hands stayed stuffed inside the pockets of her jacket._

_My heart crushed when I heard my mom's voice on the other line. I said how sorry I was for what I said before I left. Then I told her how scared I was when I ran so fast and found myself in Metropolis. My dad asked me if someone saw what I had done. I said no, which was the truth, though I didn't tell them that someone saw that my skin didn't get burned after hot coffee spilled on it. My dad told me to stay put and he would be there soon. He lectured me to say thanks to the girl who lent me some change to call. I could hear my mom say that I was lucky to find a nice girl like her. She chuckled before saying goodbye that I should ask the girl's name._

_I put the receiver back in its holder and was surprised to see the girl where I left her. I emerged from the phone booth with a huge grin on my face._

_Her smile faltered when someone called her name, "Lois!"_

_Lois. So that was her name. It was gorgeous like her._

_"Lois, what do you think you're doing? The General will kill me if he finds out what you've been doing."_

"_Relax, Wes. You won't tell him, will you?" She glared at the muscled man in front of her brought about by too much working out at the gym. He was tall and tough like most military men. He looked to be in his early twenties. They were so intent in their conversation, I just sort of faded into the background. They didn't notice. I wondered who he was in her life. He set his jaw tightly, trying to control his emotions._

"_Metropolis isn't what you think it is!" He said with much emphasis._

_"Yeah, I know. Look, Wes, I'm getting really tired of your big bro routine. I'm bored on the base and I want to meet friends the same age as me. Besides, I wanted some ice cream."_

_From what she said, I could hear Wes tone down his voice, "You just need to tell me these things. I could've bought it for you. You don't need to be here alone. Lo, you're so young."_

_"I'll turn eleven soon." She snorted. __I could tell that she was irritated by that statement based on her facial expression as illuminated by the lamp post._

_He wasn't surprised by her exasperation, "That doesn't change the fact that you always manage to get yourself into trouble_."

_"Not today. I met someone who's not arrogant and bossy like you or the General." She turned to me._

"_Hey, Smallville, meet my bodyguard Wes."_

_Smallville? That wasn't my name. Smallville was where I came from. I wanted to correct her, but instead I offered my hand to Wes for a handshake. He never accepted it. He looked at me from head to toe. Then he shifted his attention to Lois._

_"As I've said before, I'm not your bodyguard. Your father only asks me for a favor… to tone down his hard-headed daughter… Come on. Let's get back to the base."_

_"Sir!" I spoke up. "She's not like that." I would testify even to the General he mentioned that Lois was not as bad as he described, "She's nice and…"_

_Wes returned his attention to me, "Boy, step back! This is not about you. Mind your own business."_

_Boy? He called me a boy. I balled my hand into a fist. I wasn't a boy anymore. I preferred young man. But compared to him, I really was just a boy._

_Lois cut off the tension building up between me and Wes, "Were you able to reach you parents?"_

"_Yes, Lois." For the first time I voiced out her name and it felt so good. "They'll pick me up here. Don't worry about me, I can manage. Thank you."_

_She nodded as Wes put a helmet on her head. A moment later, she rode away on the back of his Harley – one of the most expensive motorbikes I've ever seen. I could never afford one._

_She waved as they moved away. I waved back and shouted, "Lois! My name is Clark Kent!"_

\CKLL/

TBC

Reviews are welcome!


	3. Part 3

**Title**: The Man Who Can't Be Moved (A companion fic to "If You and Me")

**Written by**: k3josai

**Beta by:** superlc529

**Pairing**: Smallville Clark and Lois (Alternate Universe)

**POV**: Clark Kent

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: One step forward means one step ahead. But how can Clark move on when he realizes each day that he loves his best friend even more?

Farm boy Clark Kent meets city girl Lois Lane. Who would have thought that destiny has a plan ahead of them? Can he wait until he sees her again?

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. The characters are owned by CW/WB/DC. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

**Special Thanks to:**

**All the readers and/or reviewers**

**Superlc529 – my betareader**

**Authors' Notes:**

If you think that this fic is way too confusing and baffling, again, I wanna emphasize these things. This is an AU fic of Smallville. AU means Alternate Universe or Reality. According to Wikipedia… A **parallel universe** or **alternative reality** is a hypothetical or fictional self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality. While the terms "parallel universe" and "alternative reality" are generally synonymous and can be used interchangeably in most cases, there is sometimes an additional connotation implied with the term "alternative reality" that implies that the reality is a variant of our own. The term "parallel universe" is more general, without any connotations implying a relationship, or lack of relationship, with our own universe. A universe where the very laws of nature are different – for example, one in which there are no relativistic limitations and the speed of light can be exceeded – would in general count as a parallel universe but not an alternative reality. The correct quantum mechanical definition of parallel universes is "universes that are separated from each other by a single quantum event."

That's why you can notice the difference in the **timeline** and **character references**. Chloe Sullivan didn't exist here, but her parents did. There are mentions of Martha and Jonathan Kent, General Sam and Ella Lane, Wes Keenan, Oliver Queen, Diana Prince, Bruce Wayne and Richard White. Lois and Clark are both the **only child** of their corresponding parents. I used the timelines of 1982, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2002 and 2012 with a purpose.

You may also notice same scenes from If You and Me (IYAM) fic which I purposely did because this fic is a companion piece with IYAM. If You and Me is Lois's point of view and The Man Who Can't Be Moved is Clark's point of view. Please take into consideration that The Man Who Can't Be Moved and If You and Me have the same plot but with different POVs (Point of Views). ^_^ But…. As you read along, not all the scenes in IYAM are included in TMWCBM but somehow related to one another. ^_^ Here's part 3.

\CKLL/

**The Man Who Can't Be Moved**

PART III

**Kansas, 2002**

I wasn't in the right mood to fly. Sometimes I felt like it didn't feel right if I didn't go through a day without using one of my abilities, but I'd still choose to drive my red truck. Maybe it was because I shared most of the rides with Lois from Smallville to Metropolis. The three-hour drive wouldn't be as boring, as long as you had Lois, her _Whitesnake_ CDs and her voice. Her voice wasn't as good as a singer, but bearable enough to get in tune with the music.

I put in one of her CDs and pretended she was there with me, singing along. I chuckled at the thought. Yes, Lois was everywhere.

FORT RYAN – Finally I was here. The guards were alerted as I approached the gate. I gave them my ID card from the _Daily Planet_. They all nodded as they opened the gated entrance for me. Their superiors already gave them instructions about why I was there. I decided to leave the truck outside the gate and walked with one of the escorts. I thanked him after he opened the housing assigned to General Lane and his family about ten years ago. I only got the pass to go in because of my work as a reporter at the DP. To tell the truth, I really wasn't there to do an article, but to reminisce the times when I was there to see Lois from afar.

The room was clean despite its age. Based on my research, it was just vacated by a family which had been transferred to Washington DC two weeks ago. I unlocked the door to Lois' old room where she stayed for two years. Then, I opened the window and let myself breathe some fresh air. The tree was still there, standing strong as it aged. Its trunk and its branches that held me so many times when I was twelve were sturdy as they were back then. I gazed out the window for a few moments at the beauty of the clouds and the fair weather as another batch of memories flowed within me.

\CKLL/

_**FORT RYAN, Metropolis, Kansas – 1994**_

_Since the day I met Lois about two years ago, every Friday after school, or sometimes during the weekends after doing my school projects, assignments and farm works, I would go to Fort Ryan in Metropolis using my super-speed just to see Lois from a distance. I would stand and watch from afar until just before dinner. _

_ My parents didn't know that I did it. Of course, I could've saved money out of my allowance for a two-way ticket to ride the bus, but they wouldn't allow me to go to the city all by myself. Yes, it was true, I followed Lois and Wes so I could find out where she stayed and to make sure she got home safe._

_ The base had a lot of security cameras and of course soldiers were everywhere, but I managed to find a spot where they couldn't find me or where the cameras couldn't see me. Atop a tree, I could see Lois in her room. I was contented to see her from where I was even if it was just for a couple of minutes._

_I understood her, like me, she was really lonely. She was raised by a military man surrounded by uniformed men. She didn't have a mother figure like my mom, Martha Kent. I carefully watched Lois's every movement. I memorized each of her expressions. I listened to every word she said with my super-hearing._

_She would always get frustrated whenever her father, the General, disapproved of her academic abilities. I could tell the difference between the times she wanted to disobey his rules on purpose or on accident. Either way, she would just end up getting grounded._

_Lois would go to the back of the base after school got out. She wasn't really allowed to hang out much with her friends. Though, to be honest, I noticed that she didn't really have a permanent set of friends because of the nature of her dad's job. I had thought, maybe it was because her classmates couldn't deal with her behavior and independent thinking._

_She matured early because the circumstances called for it._

_ One night, I watched her crying. I really wanted to be there for her and lend her my shoulder to cry on, but I couldn't. I prayed that maybe somehow, whatever she was feeling that night would go away by morning._

_Lois was a very tough girl. She wept that hard only twice since I met her. Yes, twice. I was even familiar with the date; it was every May 31.__I learned later that was the day she lost her mother. For two consecutive years, I witnessed how devastated both Lois and the General were that day. I observed both of them in separate rooms, holding photos of Lois' mother._

_ Like today, almost two years after I met her, I climbed the tree and hid behind the shrubbery amongst the branches. I stayed there longer than I ever had before._

_ It took her longer than normal to open her blinds and turn the light on in her room. She wasn't sticking to her usual routine. I missed her. I hadn't been able to come to the base for a couple of months. My dad was advised by his doctor to take it easy and I had to take care of the farm all by myself. Thankfully, he was okay now._

_ A few minutes later, I was fighting with myself on whether or not to use my powers. Of course, I was raised by my parents to be a gentleman. I didn't use my x-ray vision at the expense of another person. I never used my enhanced vision on Lois when she needed her privacy._

_Twenty minutes and the blinds were still shut. I was getting increasingly worried for her. Something wasn't right. I used my super-hearing first and when I didn't hear any rustling sounds, I concentrated my vision and found her room empty. Lois wasn't there and even her things were gone. I tried to find her within the premises, hoping that she was just transferred to another room, but I couldn't find her anywhere. I decided to go home without the knowledge of where she and her father were transferred._

_ Somehow, somewhere, I would find a way to see Lois again. I just prayed it wouldn't be forever._

\CKLL/

**Chandler's Field: Smallville, Kansas – 2002**

With my red truck parked beneath the windmill, I looked up. Just like old times, it continuously spun around as the wind pushed each propeller. I wondered why some things stayed the same.

_**Chandler's Field: Smallville, Kansas – 1994**_

_I was bushed. I had to wake up early to finish my chores and went straight to school. Now I was back home and beat from the day. I needed to have some space for myself: think of Lois, maybe take a nap and watch Metropolis from afar._

_Breathe._

_I knew my parents were worried about the change in my behavior. I couldn't help myself but get saddened by the fact that I couldn't get to see Lois after school. My mom and dad didn't know the real reason why I returned into my "brood mood." _

_ I walked around lazily until I saw a stone. Picking it up, I threw it with all my might, hoping it would fly beyond the stars… where I came from._

_ I gave myself a round of applause and stopped when something caught my eye at the top of the windmill. There was someone standing on the wood platform. I couldn't believe what I saw from where I stood. I had to blink a few times, rubbed my eyes, and even pinched myself to see if it was real or if I was just dreaming._

_Lois Lane with her eyes closed and arms spread out stood on top of the windmill. Was she really there? Or was it just a product of my imagination because I really missed her? Was she thinking of jumping? No, she couldn't be. It wasn't right, even if she was suffering from deep problems. She was too young to die. I decided to scream out. That caused her to turn. I must've startled her a great deal._

_"Stay back! Don't jump, Lois!"_

_She stumbled forward. I was so stunned, I was rooted in place. I had to think and act fast. One wrong move would be the difference of her either ending up in the hospital or worse – loss of life._

_She screamed at the top of her lungs while I concentrated on how to catch her. The most foreseeable thing, no matter what I did, would expose my special abilities to her. It was a no-brainer. I had to save her and trust my judgment that she wouldn't tell a single soul of what she'd witness about me. _

_"How did you catch me that fast?" She looked down and then back up into my eyes covered with glasses. It really was Lois – her eyes, her face, her voice. It was really her. My heart jumped with joy, but that was short-lived. It was being replaced by worry when I realized something…_

_"Uhhh, how come we're floating a few feet above the ground?" She added with confusion._

_I smiled nervously as I put her down the ground, followed by my own two feet. I scratched my head either in embarrassment or worry about what I had done. "Sorry I startled you."_

_She watched me carefully before she spoke, "Thank you for saving my butt… and don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She gently punched me in the shoulder._

_I didn't realize I was holding my breath until she said those words of gratuity and comfort. Thank God she understood how different I am._

_"Why are you here?" I wanted to smack myself. Smooth question, Kent_.

_"I'm here with the Sullivans."_

_"The Sullivans? Are you on vacation? What a small world, huh?" Was my excitement in seeing her already too obvious? I saw her lips crook into a smile. My heart melted at the sight._

_"I arrived yesterday with my aunt and uncle. They're my guardians now. Sorry, if I found that windmill fascinating. I could see Metropolis from up there."_

_I nodded. "You miss living in the city?"_

"_Yes… and my parents." She answered truthfully, her heart out in the open. I guess I was able to break down her walls._

"_My Dad passed away." I heard the crack in her voice, so I decided to grab her hand and give it a comforting squeeze. I really didn't understand the connection I felt whenever she was close to me. It was like everything would turn out right even if everything was all wrong. _

_"Would you like to meet my parents?" I asked as we started to walk through what seemed to be endless stalks of corn. I was aware that we were still holding hands. They seemed to fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle. I wondered if she felt the same about it._

_"Sure… By the way, are your parents as nice and kind as you?"_

_"Uh-huh… even more, really." I grinned unbelievably wide so I could convince her that she would love my parents._

_\CKLL/_

_**Kent Farm: Smallville, Kansas - 1994**_

_My parents Martha and Jonathan were hesitant at first when I told them that I accidentally revealed my powers to Lois. Lois and I were standing side by side, looking like lost puppies. My father crossed his arms over his chest as I shifted my attention from my feet to his face. He was like that whenever the situation was serious and mostly would end with me being grounded or some of my allowance cut. Mom was too quiet; I knew like dad, she was analyzing the situation._

_It felt like my tongue was tied. I babbled my explanations. I wanted to smack myself again for not coming up with a proper explanation beforehand. I felt like I was embarrassing myself in front of my parents and with Lois by my side. _

"_Mr. and Mrs. Kent, you don't have to worry about me. Clark's secret would maintain a secret. I would never ever betray your son. You can count on me to that. I am a military brat, that's why I know the rule – What I see, what I hear, when I leave, I'll leave it here. He saved my life and I will forever be in debt to him."_

_ I was dumbfounded by the way she talked in determination. Maybe, that was when my own tongue became untied and I found the courage to tell them this wasn't the first time I met her._

_ "Mom, Dad. I met Lois about two years ago in Metropolis. Do you remember the time when I ran so fast and didn't realize that I left Smallville and I ended up in the city? I didn't know the city and was a little afraid, but someone bought me ice cream for comfort and lent me some change so I could call you. The girl that I told you about, it was Lois. Lois Lane. She's here because her father died and her aunt and uncle adopted her. They're the Sullivans."_

_The doubt and worry I saw in my parents eyes vanished in an instant. My dad gave Lois' shoulder a slight squeeze and my mom offered her a slice of apple pie. I knew that was their way of thanking her for what she had done for me. She accepted the offer. I was really gratified that they welcomed Lois wholeheartedly – much in the same way they treated me when they found me in a cornfield years ago._

Who would have thought that the city girl I met few years ago was destined to be my best friend?

\CKLL/

**Sullivan's Place: Smallville, Kansas – 2002**

"Clark… hey, son." I closed the door of my truck and walked towards Uncle Gabe. He was sitting on the porch swing.

"Good afternoon, Gabe." I answered as I saw him pat the other side of the veranda, silently telling me where I could sit beside him.

"Moira and I are going to Metropolis tomorrow to visit Lois. Actually, we wanted to go today, but my arthritis is acting up again. She's in town getting some medicine for me. How's Lois?"

I shook my head. "Still the same." I rested my elbows on my thighs and held my head in my hands for support. Silence enveloped us for a minute until Gabe touched my shoulder.

For the second time since yesterday, I shed more tears. I wept into the arms of Lois' Uncle, a man we both treated as a second father.

"Have fate in Lois, Clark. She's going to wake up soon."

\CKLL/

**Sullivan's Place: Smallville, Kansas – 1995**

_I was in hurry to finish my chores. It was Saturday afternoon. Pete, Lois and I planned to go to _Crater Lake_ for a swim. We chose the afternoon sun, so we wouldn't get too burned. Technically, getting burnt didn't include me. Even though it was really hot, I didn't really feel it. I never sweated unless the cause was green kryptonite – the remains of my planet Krypton, it could poison me._

_Bringing my dad's old truck and some food my Mom prepared for us, I went to Lois' home. Pete already agreed that we would meet him at the lake since he was going to bring his new girlfriend._

_I knocked on the door, but no one answered, so I knocked again and I heard Lois' voice low and it sounded like she was in deep pain. I wasn't accustomed to hear her like that._

_The Sullivans were in the city for some important errand. Moira suggested to my mom that Lois stay on the farm for tonight._

_In my urgency to open the door, I accidentally knocked the door off of its hinges. If Lois witnessed it, she would smack my head and call me klutz. Then we would laugh together. I placed the door to the side and made a mental note to fix it later. Moira and Gabe would get suspicious on how it was removed from its hinges._

"_Looooo-isssss!" I shouted._

"_Clark! I'm in my room."_

_When I heard her voice, I super-sped into her room and found her in a fetal position, sweating profusely. I was beyond worried for her. I saw some blood on her lower back, near her ass._

_I gulped, "Lois, what happened?! Are you in pain? Let me take you to the hospital. Who did this to you?"_

_Likewise, her bed sheet even had a coin-sized bloodstain._

_She rolled her eyes at me, trying her hardest not to laugh. She was hurting right? So why did her facial expression look like some combination of pain and laughter?_

_ I stared at her paled lips, "Lois?"_

_Not moving from her previous position, she answered, "Smallville, can I ask you a favor? You know that I hate asking for favors, right?_

_I nodded, anticipating her special request. Didn't she know that I would do anything for her?_

"_Sure, anything."_

"_Get me some pain relievers and a pack of pads."_

_I stared at her with bulging eyes._

"_Hey! What's with the wide eyes? Remember, Biology 101!" She gritted her teeth. I didn't want to be on wrong side of Lois' wrath._

_I released my breath, "I thought…"_

"_Thought what, Smallville?" I could see her patience was wearing thin due to the pain she was having. I knew I couldn't say what was on my mind because after she recovered from this, she would most likely would and could kick my ass or break my neck._

"_Clark Jerome Kent?!"_

_And now she was calling me by my full name. I could tell she was really, really mad at me, but I decided to bite the bullet and say what was on my mind, "Someone did something to you, Lois."_

_She threw one of her pillows at my head. It smacked me right in the face and dropped to the floor. "Lo, you have blood on your…" I pointed to her ass as I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks. Her face turned red too as she inspected her pajama bottoms._

_She quickly jumped from her fetal position and ran like a marathon champion to her bathroom, closing the door. I was super confused. After a moment, I almost laughed when I realized what was happening. She wanted pain relievers and pads. Duh… I felt stupid._

_I knew she was embarrassed just like me, so to make it up to her I decided to super-speed to the nearest drugstore and buy her personal necessities._

_Even after buying the pain reliever and pads, my face wouldn't return to its normal color. My mind was still on the storeowner's comment and the giggling teenage girls I encountered in the store. _

"_Was that for your mom or girlfriend?" The storeowner teased as she scanned the barcodes. I knew the color in my cheeks was probably a deep burgundy now._

_She chuckled, assuming the answer was the latter, "She's indeed a lucky one."_

_I never corrected her as I took my change and then super-sped back to Lois when no one was looking._

_I gently knocked on the door, "Lo?"_

_She opened the door slightly and stretched her hand out the crack of the door. I gave her the medicine, followed by the pads. I super-sped to the kitchen and back to give her a glass of water._

_I decided to sit on her bed and wait for her to come out of the bathroom. Then I realized she hadn't eaten yet. I went back out to the truck and grabbed the food my mom prepared for us. I knew Pete wouldn't mind if Lois and I couldn't make it to the lake. He would for sure be too busy with the new apple of his eye._

_When I came back into her room, she was in a new pair of pajamas, perched on all fours at the end of the bed, trying to change her bed sheets. Without a word, I helped her change the sheets and put the dirty one in the laundry basket._

"_Are you hungry?" I posed the question._

_She shook her head unable to meet my eyes._

"_My mom made spaghetti and prepared sandwiches for us."_

_Lois looked at me with tired eyes. I knew she wanted to rest, so I decided not to talk too much and prepared to leave – technically not to leave the house, but to stay outside her room for the night because it was getting darker outside._

_In her condition, I didn't want to super-speed her to the farm. I had called my mom before I went to the store because I didn't know what brand of… uh… girl "things" to get for Lois. Mom said Lois was suffering from menstrual cramps. I thought that was what it was, but I wasn't totally sure. Our teacher told us about that in one of her Biology lectures. Girls sometimes could feel cramps during their monthly period._

_Mom knew that Lois and I wouldn't make it for dinner, so she just told me, "Clark, take care of Lois. We'll see you in the morning."_

_Before I closed Lois' bedroom door, I heard her call out softly, "Clark?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Thanks." She swallowed the lump in her throat as she continued, "Can you stay with me?"_

_I was nailed to the floor._

"_Clark?" She said again in barely a whisper. Maybe that medication was already taking effect._

"_Yes, Lo, I'm here."_

_I sat in a chair beside her bed and let her sleep. I watched her until I found myself getting sleepy. I stared at her in her peaceful slumber and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. It was my first kiss. And I was going to count it even though the other party wasn't aware of what I did. It was sweet and I got a warm fuzzy feeling, welling up inside of me from it. I closed my eyes and settled myself beside her._

_I was awakened by the sound of whispers from outside her room. I realized that it was already morning and Lois was sound asleep, using one of my arms as her pillow. I couldn't remember how we ended up in that position. Though I remembered, I thankfully remembered to fix the door, putting it back on its hinges after I brought her 'requests.'_

"_Moira, lower your voice. The kids might hear you."_

"_**Kids**__?!" I heard Moira harshly whisper, "Gabe, they're teens. My God, I could break the neck of that Kent boy if he did something to our niece."_

"_Shhh… We only got that bed sheet. We really don't know the whole story."_

_I swallowed hard as I opened the door. I saw the fury in Moira Sullivan's eyes when she grabbed me by the collar of my plaid shirt. Looks like Lois didn't just get her strength and temper from the General, she got some of it from her mother's side too._

"_Clark Kent, what did you do to Lois?"_

I gulped.

"_I'll call your parents." Gabe added._

_\CKLL/_

**Sullivan's Place: Smallville, Kansas – 2002**

Me, Moira and Gabe smiled at the memory.

"Clark, we both knew even before that that you were a good boy. Your parents raised you well. And so was Lois. Even though she had the tendency of being a bit rebellious because of her father's strictness, you influenced her to do the right thing. We really thank you for that." Moira spoke and held my hands.

Gabe continued, "And, we'd like to confess something."

His wife stood up and they switched places so he could talk to me, looking at me straight in the eyes. I knew it was really important, I could tell from the seriousness in their voices.

"Clark, you know that we treated you like our own son, just as we treated Lois as our own daughter." He paused for awhile; he was trying to read me before he continued, "Years ago, we asked your father about something which involved both you and Lois."

I thought I already knew what this was all about, but I let him continue.

"I asked Jonathan to convince you not to act on your feelings towards our niece. You were both young at that time. We felt that it wouldn't be right if things moved too quickly between the two of you. Your friendship might get ruined. You were both too young to handle things meant for adults. You're both special kids and we know that in a few years' time – the right time will come, and you and Lois can be together… We never thought that something like this would happen. We thought we were doing the right thing then. You and Lois have suffered tremendously because of our selfishness now." Gabe wiped the tears that flowed freely from his eyes.

"Sam specified in his last will and testament that Moira and I would acquire a certain percentage of his estate – which is of course more than enough to support our financial and medical needs. With my frail heart, I wasn't able to sustain the needs of my family. To get that estate, Sam's conditions were to take good care of his daughter until she was capable of being independent. She couldn't get preg… carry a child until she at least had her bachelor's degree and married. If we failed to do so, part of that estate would go to foundations."

I didn't say anything. I knew my father agreed with them. He had different reasons of course, but he agreed just the same. My dad and my biological father both believed that I had a destiny beyond Smallville. I had to undergo intensive trainings, training I already did.

Jor-El, my father in flesh and blood sent me for my training at my Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic to learn more about my Kryptonian heritage and to also control and improve my abilities. It wasn't long before I finished the intense training. He sent me to travel around the world to study different cultures, learn different languages and meet different races, only to learn after that I had to fight Doomsday with the possibility of me getting killed at the hands of the killer machine.

With trembling hands, Gabe and Moira held mine, "We do hope that you can find some place in your heart to forgive us." Moira spoke.

I covered their hands with my right, "Everything that happened has its purpose. You don't have to ask for my forgiveness because you didn't do anything wrong. You were protecting Lois. I understand that and my Dad's protectiveness too."

"Son, please, don't let go of the hope that Lois will wake up soon. She's not alone. We'll always be there for her… and you." Gabe added.

I didn't reply because I knew deep in my heart, I was the person who failed her the most.

\CKLL/

TBC

Reviews are welcome!

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I couldn't find the exact date when Lois's mother died. I only used May 31 as reference.


	4. Part 4

**Title**: The Man Who Can't Be Moved (A companion fic to "If You and Me")

**Written by**: k3josai

**Beta by:** superlc529

**Pairing**: Smallville Clark and Lois (Alternate Universe)

**POV**: Clark Kent

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: One step forward means one step ahead. But how can Clark move on when he realizes each day that he loves his best friend even more?

Farm boy Clark Kent meets city girl Lois Lane. Who would have thought that destiny has a plan ahead of them? Can he wait until he sees her again?

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. The characters are owned by CW/WB/DC. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

**Special Thanks to:**

**All the readers and/or reviewers**

**Superlc529 – my betareader**

**The timeline:  
Italics - past  
Normal - present  
The shifts from present to past are showing Clark's memories with Lois, starting from their childhood until before the Doomsday attack. Since part 1, I featured special places where Clark had past memories with Lois such as:  
Parts 1 and 2 - Metropolis  
Part 3 - Fort Ryan, Chandler's Field, Kent Farm and Sullivan's Place  
Part 4 - Kent Farm and Smallville High  
**

\CKLL/

**The Man Who Can't Be Moved**

PART IV

**Kent Farm: Smallville, Kansas – 2002**

Slowly, I went up to the loft in the barn – my own "Fortress of Solitude" as my adoptive father called it until I got the Kryptonian version. After I talked with the Sullivans, I decided to take a rest here at the farm. I embraced my dad once I got a glimpse of him trying to run our old tractor. A simple shoulder embrace from my dad and I could feel at least a little of all the loads of the world lift at least slightly.

Sitting on my favorite couch, I could feel even more memories wash over me like an old film strip of the time when the barn was me and Lois' favorite hang-out. One day, my father asked me not to act on my feelings towards Lois.

Half-heartedly, I followed his request because I knew parents know what's best for their children. What was I supposed to do now that they told me not to act on my feelings toward Lois? Was I supposed to treat her like family? Did he mean that I should treat Lois as my sibling aside from being my best friend?

So I should wait to tell Lois about my feelings at the proper time. When would be the proper timing? It was beyond our control because I am special. The reasons that might stop me from acting on my feelings would always get back to my heritage. I wasn't human. I was a Kryptonian.

Because of all the obstacles that prevented Lois and I from getting together, my dad, my heritage, Richard White, my respect of my friendship with Lois… one could understand that at some point, _somehow_ my attention was shifted to Lana Lang, right?

Lana Lang was one of my classmates at _Smallville High_. She was the famous cheerleader of the _Smallville Crows_. Pete told me that she had a huge crush on me. I did too a little, I have to admit. Aside from her famed status – not that I looked into it as important – Lana was kind and industrious. She supported herself by working at a coffee shop, the _Talon_. Her parents died at a young age. In a way, she was connected to me because her parents were hit by meteorites on the day my spaceship landed on Earth. The meteorites were pretty much the remains of Krypton. Because of Lana, I felt like my feelings for Lois were getting buried deep inside me…

In some way had been forgotten.

Maybe…

**Kent Farm: Smallville, Kansas – 1995**

_"Lois, do you think we'll still be working side-by-side in fifty years?"_

_Without looking at me, Lois chuckled, "I don't know. By then, I'd say we'd be in our retirement years."_

_ I watched her carefully as I sat beside her; she was just radiating beauty, on the inside and out. If I ever told her about my feelings some day, I really hoped that nothing would change between us. I really wanted her to be a part of my life forever. If it wasn't romantically, I'd be at least contented with our friendship._

_ I read the article she wrote from the other day's event: "The _Smallville Crows_ Win Championship Five Years Straight."_

_I knew deep inside me, she had a future in journalism whether she admitted it or not – she was really good at chasing and writing stories. I really hoped she'd decide to pursue a journalism career._

_ Her silence meant that she was concentrating, but I couldn't help but ask her, "Why not?"_

_I removed my glasses and stretched out my legs, resting them on the small table in front of the sofa. I opted to wear my glasses again after I chose not to continue a football career. My super powers gave me an unfair advantage towards the normal players. It wasn't the right path for me. I needed to be close to real action, I thought maybe I should have a dual identity: a mild-mannered reporter and a hero to save lives of people who needed it the most._

_"That wasn't a no, Smallville… Hey, if I told you I wanted to become a journalist for the _Daily Planet_ someday, would you be there to support me?" She tapped my shoulder and looked at me sincerely._

_"Of course I would. Do you want me to write a promissory note that I'll join you at the _Daily Planet_?"_

At the time, I knew I wasn't entirely sure if I could fulfill that promise because I didn't know what was in store for me in the future with Doomsday and everything. It was very contradicting because one time I was so sure of myself of just being a reporter and a hero and yet I wasn't sure if I could fulfill a promise. But for Lois, I'd do anything for her, just to see her happy.

_"Really?" She asked with a huge grin on her face._

_I wrote that I'd join her at the _Planet_. Then I grabbed her right hand, and took her thumb, pressing it into some ink for her thumbprint and I did the same. Then I encouraged her to sign the paper too in addition to our fingerprints._

_She laughed as I took the paper. "We're going to copy this agreement tomorrow so I can have one. For now, the original can be kept in my Kryptonian journal."_

_"You're really serious." She raised one of her eyebrows. I was used to that expression. She was kind of cute. Really? Just cute? _

_"Of course I'm serious. When it comes to my best friend, I take my promises very seriously." I smacked the side of her head playfully, "Remember that, Lo." I hope she knew it was my one way of telling her that I'd always be there for her._

_"Ow! Smallville!" She threw me a death glare._

_I grinned mischievously and went back over to my telescope. I was looking into the nothingness of space and finding something there: courage to say what I wanted to say. Maybe, it was the right time to tell this to Lois._

_"Lois?"_

_"Hmmm…" I could tell she was half paying attention as she bit the tip of the pencil's eraser. "Hey, Smallville, is there two c's or two s' in occasion or both?"_

_"Two c's." I replied and sat on the coffee table in front of her. I pinched her nose gently in order to gain her attention. This was it. Whatever she would say, I would finally know if her feelings for me were beyond platonic._

_I swallowed hard. I hoped that I was doing the right thing._

_"I was just thinking… Do you think Lana likes surprises? Most girls do, right? Except you, of course."_

_Lois stared blankly at me for a few seconds. "Yeah… So?"_

_"I remember she loves watching __Looney Toons__… Do you think we can do something for her birthday?"_

_"We?" She replied in a low tone._

_"Yeah… you and me. I mean, could you help me to set up the laptop, VCD, big white sheet and the projector?"_

_With a teasing tone, she asked, "So, what will I get if I help you with this little project?"_

_"I'll treat you to __the _Talon_. All the coffee and bear claws you want." She rolled her eyes. "Or I could get you Richard White's number. He's your new crush, right?"_

_Why was I doing this? What was I doing? I was doing a favor for my best friend, right? But why did I have this barbed feeling? Was I reading her right? She was okay with me and Lana having a date, right?_

_So did this mean I should just move on with Lana and forget my feelings for Lois? Easy, right? Wrong. _

_"__The _Talon_ is enough. Don't ask for Richard's number. I can make a strategic plan about obtaining that, okay?"_

_"Yes! Thanks, Lo! You're the best!" I hugged her tightly and I got a feeling that something between us was slipping away._

_"And by the way," I added as we went downstairs. "I asked Richard to join _The Torch_." Richard was a transferee from Washington DC. Lois and Richard were attending the same class. _

_She stared at me with a frown on her face._

_"He said yes."_

_Seriously, why was I doing this to myself? Were Lois and I just coming to a point where we should lessen our time together? Was it me pushing her away? Was it me trying to accept the fact that we couldn't be more than friends because I couldn't be with human or knowing that she might have special feelings for Richard? Or was it because I already loved Lana? I loved Lana, didn't I? Damn feelings._

_She cracked a beaming smile, "That's great! I do hope he knows how to write sports news so I can start to do… feature writing."_

_I returned with a huge grin on my face, "You'd be surprised."_

\CKLL/

**Kent Farm, Smallville, Kansas – 1995**

_We stared at the white sheet. It was going to serve as the monitor where we would focus the projector attached to Lois's laptop. I requested Pete to rent the projector and VCD, but he opted to leave after completing his tasks and left the decorating between me and Lois._

"_Enjoy the movie! Just bring me my laptop back tomorrow." She said before she stepped into her car._

_"Yeah, thanks, Lo."_

_Lois smiled at me. I read her right, right? She had a huge smile painted on her face. That would mean she was genuinely happy with the choice that I made… to be with Lana. Right? _

_I didn't know whether to be happy or not. Should I be thankful that I finally got the chance to give Lana a birthday surprise? Should I simply just be content that I have Lois as my friend? Nothing more? Yeah, I know I was already lucky to have the special people I have in my life. I had to be satisfied with the blessings that I already had._

_ Lana and I ate popcorn and drank our favorite soda. I looked at her from the corner of my eye; it was a great feeling knowing that I made Lana happy. Bugs Bunny was her favorite cartoon character. She told me that a couple of times. That was why I had this feeling she was going to love my birthday surprise for her._

_ At the end of the movie, we shared our first kiss. It wasn't that passionate, but it was great. We didn't say the 'L' word, I couldn't bring myself to say those three magic words yet, but in our silent understanding, Lana and I now considered each other as a couple._

\CKLL/

**Smallville High School – 2002**

I saw the _Crows_. They won the championship game again. I smirked, knowing the feeling the football players must've had because I had them, once upon a time. The audience was cheering so loudly. It was like way back when…

Beyond the large crowd, I could see Lois cheering for me. She had this unwavering faith in me that I could control my abilities on the football field and make our team win without even using my special powers – which I did. I could hear her chants from a distance, "Smallville! Smallville! Smallville!"

I stepped down the bleachers, physically and mentally going to the place where I broke my own heart and someone else's.

_**Smallville High School - 1996**_

_The music started to play, or at least it did for me. They probably had played a bunch of songs already. I didn't know how many because I was late – again. Yes, I had to run an errand. I had to make a save not far from the school. There was a small fire brought on by a lit candle that engulfed a curtain of an open window. It wasn't anything that major._

_I looked around. Lana wasn't there. Technically she was my date, but I didn't know if she would even attend our prom tonight. We had another petty fight last night. I couldn't remember much of the details, but most of the time the reason was all about me and my inability to open up to her fully. She'd always ask why I could open up with Lois but not her._

_Looking around at the nearby tables and chairs, a little bit far from the dance floor, I finally found Lois drinking strawberry-aide. I wondered where Richard was at the moment. I thought he was her prom date._

"_Hey, Lois."_

"_Hey yourself." She looked up at me._

"_Is this seat taken?"_

"_Not until you came." She smiled as I took a seat across from her. "Where's Lana?" She asked before she took a sip of her drink._

"_I don't know if she's going to make it tonight."_

_Lois raised her left eyebrow. "Let me take a wild guess." She paused. "You had another misunderstanding."_

_I nodded. "It's becoming a habit of ours. But we're okay. We can still stand each other without getting into a bloody war."_

_Lois never said a word and I intended not to tell her that she was the reason. Lois would never pressure me whenever I didn't want to give any details. At that moment I truly realized that that was one of the differences between Lois and Lana. Lois knew when to push me and when she had to stay silent until I was ready to tell her._

_ Lois already told me yesterday that she was only here for her _Torch_ article. She had to do an article about the Prom and I could tell she for sure wasn't enjoying it. I wanted to ask where Richard was, but Lois suddenly spoke in a serious tone with a hint of sadness._

_ "Clark, have you ever felt like you wanna do something but you can't? And the reasons why you can't are because you're so afraid to get hurt? Then at the same time you know you can't afford to lose someone if you told them what you wanted to tell them?" She was focused on her drink as she was talking and then looked up at me._

_I stared at her and tried to read her, but I couldn't._

_ "Yeah… once upon a time."_

_ She chuckled at my reply, "Clark, do you still believe in fairytales?"_

_ I nodded, "Yeah, why not?"_

_ "Fairytales are also "once upon a time." This is the twentieth century. You mean you still want to have the whole damsel-in-distress thing and have her rescued by a dazzling and brave prince charming?"_

_ I replied, "Sure. Don't you think Prince Clark and Princess Lana would be cute?"_

_ She smirked at me. "No wonder."_

_ I wanted to answer her first question, but I opted to change the topic. There would be no point in telling her that somewhere between being acquaintances and friends I had deeper feelings for her. I really thought that I had already buried those feelings within me since I started going out with Lana, but after watching Lois right now, I could tell those feelings were resurfacing again. We hadn't really spent all that much time together since we both had our own relationships – me with Lana and her with Richard._

_I missed Lois so much, but I couldn't tell her._

_ I swallowed the lump in my throat before I spoke, "Hey, since Richard and Lana aren't here and… you know my mom rented this tux for me…"_

_I couldn't help but notice her off-shoulder beige gown. She was stunningly different tonight. "…and that beautiful gown you're wearing would just go to waste… we should at least have one dance."_

_The lights dimmed as a slow song began to play. I could feel my nervousness spread out through my entire body as I extended my right hand, silently asking her to dance. Lois looked at me like I had grown a second head. I smiled to lighten the situation. She placed her hand in mine._

"_Do you think it's right for the two of us to dance together?" She asked with a teasing tone. She stood up but a little bit distracted._

"_I mean, I know you wanted to save your first dance for her."_

_I shifted my gaze in the direction Lois was looking. Lana emerged from the entrance in her white gown._

_Then I heard Lois say, "Go. You don't have to worry about me. Richard told me that he'll be here. He's just running a little late because of some family matter."_

_She gave me a big smile. My hand dropped back to my side. The spell disappeared. I decided to ask her, "Can you save your last dance with me?"_

_Lois never had the chance to reply because Lana was already by my side, and grabbing my arm, "There you are."_

_I stared back at Lana. "Can I borrow my boyfriend?"_

_Lois smiled, "You shouldn't have to ask me that, Lana. He's definitely all yours." She winked at us before she waved her goodbye._

_I watched Lois until she disappeared from my sight. Now, it was time to face Lana._

_ Instead of going to dance, I found myself sitting again in the same spot when I was talking to Lois, but now Lana sat across from me. She looked at me seriously._

_ "Clark." She started and took me by the hand, "I apologize for what I've done to you. Even though I'm your girlfriend, it's not right to ask you things that you don't feel comfortable sharing with me."_

_ "No, Lana, it's me who must apologize. I'm not being a hundred percent truthful with you."_

_ She smiled bitterly, "I know. We're… I mean, I had too much of an expectation for the two us because I thought at first, we were too compatible. We're both popular. I the ex-cheerleader, you the former football player and I thought we'd just click." _

_I waited for her to continue so I could analyze what I should do or tell her. It wasn't in my nature to hurt someone in any way. My parents wouldn't be proud of me if I did._

"_But I'd be lying if I told you that we're okay. We're different." Lana added, "I'm not so blind, you know. I know I'm not the one you need. It's Lois." _

_I was shocked at Lana's revelations. Was I that obvious?_

"_Go on, Clark. It's not every day that you'd find your girlfriend telling you to go to someone else. Life is too short to spend it with someone you don't love and you know it's not meant to be." She smiled at me with a hint of bitterness._

"_Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, I never intended for this to happen. Don't ever think that I have never been happy in our relationship because I have been and I will always treasure what we had."_

"_Don't worry, Clark, if Lois can't make you happy, I'm still here for you."_

_I gazed into Lana's eyes and saw the truth behind them. She was setting me free and I was stunned at her brave attempt._

_I stood and gave her a hug of appreciation, "Thank you, Lana. I will never forget you."_

_She nodded. "Go. Good luck, Clark."_

_Looking back at Lana, I knew that what she had done for me was one of the bravest things a woman could ever do for somebody she cares about. I admire her for that._

_I looked for Lois all over the building. I was getting excited and nervous because I had this rare moment to be with her. I could care less at what the outcome might be. Lana was right. Life is too short._

_I focused on her heartbeat and found her standing in the middle of the parking lot near her car with no one other than Richard White. I was rooted to the spot the moment I saw them together. I still wasn't used to the fact that they had a blossoming relationship. It hurt when I saw them standing close together and it hurt even more when they started to sway with the music coming from her car._

_It was getting difficult to breathe. I just kept blinking, but the sight before me didn't go away. I knew I shouldn't feel this way because I didn't have the right. As far as Lois knew, I was still with Lana. If only I had acted on my feelings for Lois when I wanted to long ago, maybe I could've been the dancing with her right now. Lois couldn't see me. She was too busy talking with Richard. I didn't bother to use my super-hearing because I knew I had to respect their privacy. It wasn't right to invade it._

_I stared at them one more time before I sped back to the farm so I could look at the stars through my telescope and think of all the what ifs and if onlys._

\CKLL/

TBC

Reviews are welcome!

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P.S.

BTW, in part III of If You and Me, I mentioned Lifehouse as the band which played in their prom, but then when I'm writing TMWCBM I realized that I changed the timeline. The prom in this plot is year 1996 while Lifehouse started to become known was in year 2004 (if I'm not mistaken). Likewise, Juris's version of If You and Me (song) was released in 2010 or 2011. Likewise, I changed DVD into VCD. I apologized for those mistakes… - Josai


	5. Part 5

**Title**: The Man Who Can't Be Moved (A companion fic to "If You and Me")

**Written by**: k3josai

**Beta by:** superlc529

**Pairing**: Smallville Clark and Lois (Alternate Universe)

**POV**: Clark Kent

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: One step forward means one step ahead. But how can Clark move on when he realizes each day that he loves his best friend even more?

Farm boy Clark Kent meets city girl Lois Lane. Who would have thought that destiny has a plan ahead of them? Can he wait until he sees her again?

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. The characters are owned by CW/WB/DC. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

**Special Thanks to:**

**All the readers and/or reviewers**

**Superlc529 – my betareader**

**Author's notes:**

**The timeline:  
Italics - past  
Normal - present  
**

**The shifts from present to past are showing Clark's memories with Lois, starting from their childhood until before the Doomsday attack. Since part 1, I featured special places where Clark had past memories with Lois such as:**

**Parts 1 and 2 - Metropolis  
Part 3 - Fort Ryan, Chandler's Field, Kent Farm and Sullivan's Place  
Part 4 - Kent Farm and Smallville High**

**Part 5 – Lois' Apartment in Metropolis and The Daily Planet**

Dedicated to all Clark and Lois fans who always believe of Clois's destiny.

Warning: Handkerchief is badly needed.

_**I stared at her retreating back until she disappeared from my sight. I liked her the first time I saw her in the park; my feelings for her just increased over the course of getting to know her. I might have buried my feelings for her at times and thought that it was okay to move on and be with someone else, but no matter what I did, I loved Lois. I still love her and I always would.**_

~Clark Kent~

\CKLL/

**The Man Who Can't Be Moved**

PART V

**Lois' Apartment in Metropolis, 2002**

I super-sped around Lois' apartment, cleaning it; she did the same whenever I wasn't around, of course, minus the super-speed. I had a spare key to her apartment and she had one for mine. Because we were best friends and work partners, we decided that we should treat each of our apartments as our own home. Staring at each of the photos in their frames, I felt part of the heavy load was somehow lifted.

I smirked at the picture taken a few days after she arrived in Smallville in 1994. My mom took it as Lois and I were helping each other fix the telescope so I could show her the different constellations of stars. She was looking through the lens while I was aiding her to focus on a specific location. I loved watching the stars and especially the shooting stars. Whenever I did that, it was like I was part of the universe and somehow I had been able to reach my home planet Krypton.

_"Smallville! There are shooting stars!" Lois shrieked while I was sitting on the couch studying. My attention shifted to her. I smiled as she closed her eyes._

_"What'd you wish?" I asked her. I always asked her every time there was a shooting star. _

_She always had this answer: "If you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine." Then she followed it by a punch to my chest or my arm. Sometimes I pretended like it hurt like today._

"_Ouch, Lo!"_

_I love the way she rolled her eyes, "Like that hurt."_

Hurt? Yeah… I was hurting right now. The sting was always there and I didn't know when it would stop. It was almost the same when I left Smallville a few days after we graduated high school. Jor-el, my biological father, sent me for my training at the Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic to learn more about my Kryptonian heritage and to also control and improve my abilities. It wasn't long before I finished my intense training. After that I traveled all around the world to study different cultures, learn different languages and meet different races.

Since I left, I contacted Lois by phone. I always said 'Internet isn't common where I am.' I mailed her postcards of all the places I visited but not my photo. I didn't know what I was thinking at that time, I never asked her to send hers because I had no permanent address. I stayed mostly on remote areas with people who were not yet reached by technological advancement.

Lois might not know this, but I painted her picture in my head. Every night, I just looked at the stars and prayed that I would come home soon. To my parents… To her….

The first time I caught a glimpse of Lois after years of not seeing each other was one of the most blissful experiences I ever had. I remembered, I knocked on the door of her apartment while talking to her through my cell phone. I told her that I was still in Venezuela. I smiled widely as she opened the door. I hold my breath seeing how gorgeous she was. She was extremely stunning even on her yellow tank top and pajama bottoms. I recalled how I said, "I miss you a lot, Lois."

After that, we both ended the call and she jumped up at me. Thankfully, I was faster than the speeding bullet. I heard her say through her sniffles, "I missed you too, Smallville."

'I missed you too, Smallville.' I really wished someday soon, I'd hear Lois say those words again to me.

I grabbed another picture of the two of us I had just seen for the first time. It was of Lois and me sitting together on the front steps of the farmhouse. Lois had her head resting on my shoulder. My mom was a great photographer. She took the picture behind us. It was a gorgeous shot.

_"Am I unlovable, Clark?"_

_ I knew why she was asking me that question again and for the millionth time I would never tire of answering her from the bottom of my heart. "No, Lois… You are…"_

_ She cut me off. "I'm just wondering why Ollie left me again. This time there's no turning back. Is it that hard to maintain a relationship with somebody when you have another identity? Like with you and Diana?"_

_ I disagreed by shaking my head. I understood why Oliver had to call it quits. He loves her, but not enough to choose her. Lois is my best friend. Oliver is a friend of mine too and the co-founder of the Justice League. That was why I couldn't take either side. So I chose to stay quiet and silently tell her that I understand by letting her lean her head on my shoulder while she cried for her lost love._

I touched her lips through another photograph. This time I took the picture the first time she won a _Kerth_ Award for Investigative Journalism. It was taken a couple of months before the Doomsday attack. I shook my head.

_ "Hey, Lois! Since I was just your decoration for tonight as your escort, I think I might as well be your photographer too."_

_ I grinned at her and she returned it with her usual smirk with a hint of playfulness._

"_Aw… That means I have to give you a treat. Is that right, Smallville?" She hooked her right arm into my left._

_ I shrugged. We gave each other a look and in unison we shouted, "Ice cream!"_

_We laughed together as she stood near the entrance of the hotel where the award ceremony was conducted. She held her trophy as she smiled for the camera._

_ "You know what? Someday soon, you'll get this award too. And don't forget about the Pulitzer."_

_ I nodded in agreement. We made a great team for the _Daily Planet_. And after the kinds of stories we always reported, I knew we would earn them soon. I tapped her nose like the way it used to be, "Too much positive thinking."_

_ She giggled and threw the car keys at me, which I successfully caught, "Come on, Smallville, you'll drive."_

_ We must've been quite the sight in the ice cream parlor in our formal attire, but neither one of us gave it a second thought. I couldn't help but smile at the fact we were in the same ice cream parlor where she bought our ice cream cones ten years ago. She was so beautiful._

_ "Hey, Smallville, what are you staring at? Your ice cream is melting!"_

_ I laughed and started to lick it. Deep inside, I really missed this kind of bonding with her. We hadn't had that much time to just hang out like this when we were kids. Of course, we were busy with our jobs and our personal lives, but I still missed these times._

_I enjoyed my ice cream. It felt like it was the most delectable dessert I ever had. We giggled as we ate the base of the cone at the same time. We usually did that ever since the first time we ate ice cream together. It was either me waiting for her or her waiting for me, so we could eat the last bite together._

_Then I heard a scream for help._

_ She recognized the sudden change in my facial expression as I looked away, so she said, "Go, Clark, don't worry about me, I can manage."_

_ I knew she could; her apartment was just a couple of blocks away. I stood up with a smile painted on my face. Anyone could tell that I was really in high spirits._

_ "Clark, tell Diana thank you."_

_ "For what?" I was clueless as to what Lois was saying._

_ Lois stared at me like she was trying to read my face, but instead she just answered, "She already knows."_

\CKLL/

I sat on her couch. This was my favorite part of her apartment because this was where I'd sleep whenever we worked late and we had to beat the deadline. This was also where we sat together to watch a movie or just to talk about one topic or another.

I closed my eyes as I laid myself down on the couch. I would never forget the night, a week before the Doomsday attack.

_Floating above the skies by Lois' apartment, I used my enhanced vision to see her. I'd always do this each and every night – a short stop to make sure she was all right._

_ I watched her as she sat on a chair in her room with her laptop on a table. She stood up and opened a can of beer. I focused my vision on her face. She looked haggard, like she only got a few hours of sleep. I looked again at the can of beer. She was probably drinking for a couple of reasons, either she needed it to help her get to sleep or she was in deep thought._

_ Lois went into her living room and settled herself on her sofa. She drank her beer straight from the can. She was hurting, I knew that. She sighed deeply. I usually would knock on her door or window whenever she had a bad day. But tonight, I could tell she just wanted to be by herself and sit in her own silence. She sent me a text message an hour ago telling me that she just needed tonight to herself and she really needed a rest. She was tired._

_I had a feeling that she was getting tired of me…_

_ Tears flowed freely from her eyes. She was always like that whenever she was in deep pain. She would never say anything, just let the tears fall from her face, pouring like rain. Then I could hear her speak in a low tone…_

_ "I don't know where you are right now, Clark. You could be somewhere on the farthest continent or just a block away. I don't have the guts to tell you some things directly to your face. Maybe with any luck, you can hear me with your super-hearing right now." She paused to wipe her tears and leaned back on the sofa. She stared into nothingness._

"_You know that I don't have a lot of friends because the General never really allowed me to or maybe I just have a really, really bad character – that's why they didn't like me. Maybe that's also the reason why I'm unlovable."_

_Bad character? Unlovable? Lois should never think about those things. She could never be that person. She was the best friend I ever had. This must be stopped. She can't think about herself like that._

"_One day, I saw a boy in the park…" Again, I was glued to my spot. She was talking about me as she crossed her legs and hugged a pillow. She was seeking comfort._

"_It was really great that I found a person the same age as me and never backed down even though I was sarcastic to him. I'm really thankful that after all those years, we're friends, best of friends…" She stopped for awhile. "You're always there for me. We're beyond siblings attached to the hips. I would always remember the things you said to me… When I'm sad, you're sad… When I'm happy, you're happy. It's like we have this connection, but lately, I felt that connection was slowly deteriorating, stitch by stitch." _

_She paused as she started to sob out, "But why can't I be happy for you when you finally find the right person for you? I don't know why I'm so emotional about this, this Diana thing. I'm already used to you finding someone you can love and have them love you back. First Alicia came and then Lana… I was fine with them – sort of. But with Diana, she's incomparable, epitome of perfection. She has everything Superman and Clark can ask for. If I ever had to compete with her, I'd know where I'd stand. I could never win. I can never ask you, 'what does she have that I don't?' because I already know the answer. She's Diana Prince and Wonder Woman while I'm just Lois Lane."_

_I closed my fists. This was what I wanted right? Let Lois accept the fact that we could never be a couple. Lois and Diana were both my close friends, but I chose to be with the one who would cause me a lesser pain. The pretense Diana and I made which later on led us to believe that we could be more than friends turned out not in a good way. For a moment, we thought we were meant to be together._

_With Diana, I didn't have to worry as much because she could never be as fragile as a human. She could fight and defeat superhuman or dangerous enemies because she has super powers like me. She could never hurt me the way Lois did. I decided to be with her because it's safer. I chose her because she's the better match for Superman._

_A better match for __**Superman**__… the words echoed on my mind…_

_But who was the girl who offered Clark Kent ointment when she thought your arm was burned by hot coffee? Who was the girl who bought you ice cream and lent you her money to call home when you had none? Who was the teenage girl who cheered you on until she lost her voice during football games? Who was the teenage girl who lent you a shoulder to cry on when you lost all hope and it felt like everyone was closing their doors on you? Who was the woman who trained you to become a better reporter by giving you great advice? Who was the woman who smacked your arms, chest or head whenever you felt that you didn't do your best? Who was the woman who would fix your tie and glasses while talking about what had happened with her that day and the _Daily Planet_? Who was your best friend who listened to you every time you had failed saves and never judged you, but instead reassured you that you couldn't be in two places at once?_

_I closed my eyes as tears fell down my face. My thoughts would always come back to a certain Lois Lane. I had been nurturing my feelings for her for almost a lifetime._

"_Lois, why are you doing this? Why are you talking to yourself?" I heard her trembling voice._

_She breathed out as another batch of tears flowed from her eyes, "Clark, maybe after this, I can finally set myself free and accept the fact that we can't be more than friends. No matter how many shooting stars I saw and how many wishes I made, I know that there's this one thing that I can never have – you. It's just a matter of positive attitude towards something inescapable. I've let you go so many times, but now I know that this one is for real." _

_ She leaned back further on the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. I heard her berate herself in almost a whisper, "Come on, Lois, you're the daughter of General Sam Lane – tears can make you weak, but you can have strength by accepting defeat."_

_I always adored her for her strength; she didn't know how courageous she was at that moment. I felt ashamed for what I had done, but after hearing and seeing her like this, it gave me at least a bit of comfort that she'd be able to move on some day if I wasn't able to defeat Doomsday. In some way, I knew I made the right decision._

_ She fell asleep with the tears in her eyes, so I decided to go inside and wipe them for her. She might never know it, but I love her very much._

\CKLL/

_**Daily Planet**_**, 2002**

_Monday came and I watched Lois typing across my desk. She cracked a smirk at me and I returned the favor. We both tried to act normal though things between us had already changed. She didn't have a clue that I already figured it out._

_ "Smallville."_

_ I nodded._

_ "Perry offered me to be a foreign correspondent in Africa." I stared at her and tried to read her facial expression._

_ "You wanna go?" I asked her though I already knew the answer._

_ Silence passed between us before Lois gave me her reply. "I thought about it." She sighed, and then opened her lips to speak. "Yes I accepted it."_

_ I couldn't let myself to talk for a moment, though I already comprehended that it was for the best. "Congrats Lo."_

_ I thought I saw a hint of sadness from her eyes for a second but then it disappeared as she smiled again and picked her notes and bag. "Thanks Clark. I'll be leaving soon, in a week I guess." _

_ I couldn't bring myself to say something until she spoke again. "I need to go to meet my source. See you later." _

_I stared at her retreating back until she disappeared from my sight. I liked her the first time I saw her in the park; my feelings for her just increased over the course of getting to know her. I might have buried my feelings for her at times and thought that it was okay to move on and be with someone else, but no matter what I did, I loved Lois. I still love her and I always would._

\CKLL/

It was passed eight in the evening and the newsroom was quiet as I scanned it with my x-ray vision. Perry White, our editor, wasn't in his office. I knew because he told me that he was having dinner with his wife Alice. It was the right thing to do. Though, he loves his job, he still would have some quality time with the people he cared about the most. You would never know what day could be your last.

I walked through the revolving doors of the most prestigious newspaper in the world. I smiled at the memory when Lois told me that we would become the best reporters at the _Daily Planet_ someday and we almost were. Almost.

I touched Lois's nameplate. She worked hard to become the rising star reporter of the _Planet_. Though we were still both working on the ground floor, we both knew we wouldn't have to wait too long before we'd get our promotion. She had so many dreams she wanted to live out. It wasn't right that she was in the hospital fighting for her life and it was all because of my arrogance.

_I watched her sitting in her favorite spot at the Daily Planet – her desk. My desk was my favorite too because despite of the hustle and bustle of the world, sitting opposite of me was Lois. Watching her type at her computer with that slight frown to her face somehow provided me a sense of comfort._

_ "Hey!"_

_ I didn't hear her at first until I heard her yell again, "Hey, Smallville!"_

_I felt something hit me in the face. It was a crumpled piece of paper. I didn't mind of course, it's not like it could hurt me. Besides, it was just Lois being Lois._

_ "Yes, Lo." I looked up, pushing my glasses back up my nose as I looked at her with my big blue eyes. Lois had suggested after I had debuted myself as Superman to work my dual identity. The mild-mannered reporter was Clark Kent and Superman was the hero. She was right, if people believed we were two separate entities, the people I cared about would stay safe from my enemies._

_ "What's on your mind? You've been staring at me for two minutes." She squinted her eyes at me, a scrutinizing gaze._

_ I simply smiled and shrugged. I could guess what she'd say next, it would either be…_

_ "Smallville, you are so weird."_

_And she'd continue her typing and shake her head. Or…_

_ "Can you buy me a cup of coffee and a maple doughnut?" And she would wink and go back to working on her article._

_She went for the second option._

_I opened up my desktop, giving her a mischievous smile and in a split second, I had her favorite coffee and doughnut on her desk. She gave me a small smile and a thanks before we both got back to work._

_Later we both went up to the roof and stared out at the Metropolis skyline. I sighed. We always had these moments of silence together. I knew she hated uncomfortable silences, but these moments, she told me they were the exceptions. Sometimes, we'd just go up there with our portable telescopes and stargazed like we were back in Smallville. There were also times when we went up there to just take some time to ourselves and eat our favorite hamburger or Chinese take-out before we had to get back to our desks and make our deadline._

_If you asked me what my most cherished moment was in my life, it would be when she gave me my watch right here on the roof of the _Daily Planet_ on the eve of my twentieth birthday. She kissed me lightly on my cheek. Thankfully, the moon wasn't that bright that night otherwise she would've seen the tint of red in my cheeks._

Being with someone like Lois Lane made me feel more human, with her, I had my link to humanity. She opened my eyes to the real reason why I was sent to Earth, to become its protector. The sound of my ringtone on my cell phone startled me. I could barely see the caller ID through my silent tears. I answered my phone, "Mom?"

My heart flew when I heard my mother's voice, "Lois is awake."

\CKLL/

TBC

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	6. Part 6

**Title**: The Man Who Can't Be Moved (A companion fic to "If You and Me")

**Written by**: k3josai

**Beta by:** superlc529

**Pairing**: Smallville Clark and Lois (Alternate Universe)

**POV**: Clark Kent

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: One step forward means one step ahead. But how can Clark move on when he realizes each day that he loves his best friend even more?

Farm boy Clark Kent meets city girl Lois Lane. Who would have thought that destiny has a plan ahead of them? Can he wait until he sees her again?

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. The characters are owned by CW/WB/DC. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

**Special Thanks to:**

**All the readers and/or reviewers**

**Superlc529 – my betareader**

**The timeline:  
****_Italics_ - past  
Normal - present**

**THE FINAL INSTALLMENT… Enjoy!**

\CKLL/

**The Man Who Can't Be Moved**

PART VI

**Metropolis General Hospital, 2012**

Through the window blinds of room 203, I watched Lois carefully. Her eyes were closed and she had black circles under them. She either didn't get enough sleep or too much.

I held the freshly-picked calla lilies behind my back. She loved lilies just like her mother. I sat in the chair next to her as I gazed upon her sleeping form. I carefully touched her cheek with the back of my hand. I missed her so much. I focused my super hearing on her heart beat and I felt at peace with her by my side.

**Metropolis General Hospital, 2002**

_I didn't know how to approach Lois. I had this fear that if I ever got close to her again, she would disappear. So I stayed my distance._

_ Lois was thin, thinner than what was normal for her or even healthy. She didn't say much. She chose to stay silent except when answering the doctors and nurses. She was distant and let herself stare into nothingness._

_ I gave Lois her favorite flowers and fruits through my parents. They always loved her like their own daughter. My mom and dad told me that I should be the one to sit with her through these tough times. They were trying to convince me that it wasn't my fault. I tried many times to talk to her, but I just couldn't face her yet. I didn't know why._

_If my parents couldn't make it to Metropolis, I'd always drop of the flowers to her nurse. Whenever the nurse put them beside her bed, she just nodded and said thanks to her. She would go through her therapy and faced each and every pain she felt with courage. She was going to walk again and stand by herself. She would never say a word even if she was in pain. That was the Lois Lane I knew – a fighter._

_ Life went on. Things happened beyond my control. Enemies just kept on coming. Someone sent me a crystal. I didn't have much evidence, but I thought it was the work of none other than Lex Luthor – the billionaire who had so much of a thirst of knowledge and power, he became my nemesis._

_When I touched it, I was transported to the Phantom Zone, a place I later learned Jor-El made as a prison for Kryptonian criminals. I was there for days, but it turned out to be months on Earth. Luckily, I found another Kryptonian there from the House of El who turned out to be Kara Zor-El, my cousin, who helped us to escape. Unlike me, her father sent her there so she would survive Krypton's explosion. She didn't know how she survived each day with the prisoners of the Zone. She had to pretend she was one of them. I was very thankful that she was there and we both had the chance to leave that prison. I brought her to Earth. The blood of any member of the House of El served as a key to open the portal._

_During our escape, we unknowingly released some of the prisoners of the Phantom Zone. I had to trace the whereabouts of the Phantom Zoners, fight them and put them back to their rightful place, which I successfully did through the help of the Justice League._

_ With everything that happened, I wasn't able to be with Lois and witness her full recovery from all of her pain and injuries. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Today was the day I finally decided to see Lois. After getting trapped the Phantom Zone, I realized how wrong I was to let Lois go that easily. I knew I should never give up on the person I love the most._

_In the Phantom Zone, I was without my powers due to the absence of a yellow sun. I was able to survive the cruelty of the Zoners by the picture of Lois I kept in my wallet. It was her who gave me hope._

_ I slipped my glasses on and fixed my tie and coat. Lois would punch me if I didn't do this right. For the zillionth time, I let out a deep breath. She was sitting on her favorite side of the bench in Centennial Park. Gone were the scars of her wounds on her physical body, but I wasn't sure about her emotional ones. She looked like she did before Doomsday. She wore her yellow tank top, faded jeans and rubber shoes. She had her hair in a ponytail. I almost was brought back to the memory of the first time I saw her. She closed her eyes as she breathed in the morning air._

_"Excuse me… Can I borrow some change, miss?" I was stunned to see Lois' hazel eyes stare up at me in disbelief._

_"Are you lost?" She answered with another question. I chuckled. She was always like that, answering a question with another question. Could you count that as a reply?_

_I shrugged as I imitated the Kent boy from ten years ago, "I think so. My parents are worried about me. I need to call them."_

_"I don't have any change, but you can borrow my cell phone."_

_I felt a range of so many different emotions as I gazed at her beautiful face. I had missed her so much. Her voice… Her expression… Her everything._

_"When was the last time you shaved?" Lois asked which made me blush. I gawkily scratched the back of my head. If only she knew that I forgot to shave because I was so excited about seeing her again. I decided to sit next to her and we were left together in an uncomfortable silence._

_Who was I to let her go? I didn't know how to start so after a minute, I asked her, "Can I…"_

_She tilted her head to the side as I tried to say what was on my mind, "Lois, can I hug you?"_

_I could see the surprise on her face by my request. I hoped she'd let me. She nodded in agreement. I didn't let myself to think too much and let my instinct guide me. I reached out to her and embraced her in the biggest bear hug I had ever given in my entire life. I was careful not to hurt her._

_"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was so afraid to tell you how I feel because I didn't know what would happen to us if things between us went south. Our friendship is more important to me than anything else in this world. I couldn't bear to lose you."_

_ She kept quiet, signaling that I should continue._

_"I tried to distance myself from you since Jor-El told me that there was a possibility I couldn't defeat Doomsday. I didn't want you to get hurt if he had… well… you know. That was why I asked Diana to pretend that we were a couple. I thought that if I pretended to be with her, you could forget the way you feel about me. If you could forget about me, if I had died… you would've been able to move on."_

_"Clark?" I could sense the pain emanating from her words, "How could you think my feelings for you were that shallow? You know, I __really __want to hate you for being so blind and irrational."_

_Yeah, that was me, the man with an x-ray vision but was so blind. I was a fool._

_"I know I was wrong. My feelings for you are getting deeper and deeper every day. Seeing you hurt each time I did something foolish… well that pain I felt in my battle with Doomsday? I deserved that. I deserved that a million times over. You almost __died__ because of my mistakes. I failed you, Lois. I'm really sorry. The only thing that has kept me going these past six months when I was in the Phantom Zone was knowing that you were still alive."_

_Tears were streaming down both our faces. I whispered, "I love you, Lois Lane and all I'm asking for is a chance to make it right."_

_ She didn't say a word. I prayed that she didn't have a change of heart. Though hesitant to come out of her embrace, I had to look in her eyes to convince her that I did mean what I said._

_"You know that message you left me? The one you left during Doomsday? It __is__ true. You can't be Diana Prince…"_

_I shook my head, "You can't be her because there's only __one__ Lois Lane. I love you because you're you. You're smart, independent, arrogant, a pain in the ass, gorgeous, sexy…" I grinned at her. I finally voiced the words I wanted to say to her since the beginning, "I know we're different, but it works. This is how our relationship has always been and I'm not afraid to take it a step further. Are you?"_

_Lois shook her head with a small smirk on her lips, "When did you know that you loved me as more than a friend?"_

_ I cupped her face with both hands and noticed that those brown specks in her hazel eyes made her even more gorgeous, "Since the first time I laid my eyes on a girl who cared for a boy who didn't know how to get back home."_

_Lois smiled widely telling me I said the right thing._

_"I love you too, Clark Kent."_

_She loves me. This was real. This was happening. I never knew it could feel like this. I felt free… fortunate… like I was on cloud nine. I closed the short distance between us with a kiss on the lips. She put her hand on my chest feeling my pounding heart. When we broke the kiss, we stared into each other's eyes. I hoped that she could see what was inside of me._

"_Smallville?"_

"_Lo?"_

_We said in unison. I chuckled as she grinned at me._

"_Ice cream!" We said again at the same time. With that she punched me in my chest._

"_Yes, of course… Ice cream," Lois spoke and we held each other's hands as we stood together. "Don't tell me you fell in love with me because of ice cream?"_

_I laughed loudly as we crossed the street. "Or maybe it was the ointment or change?" She added cheekily._

"_Maybe it was all of the above." I replied and gently squeezed her hand. We entered the ice cream parlor with huge smiles on our faces. No matter what happened, this was just a new beginning._

**Metropolis General Hospital 2012**

I slowly and very carefully as to not to wake her up, placed a gentle kiss on her lips. I could feel the smile on her lips as we parted. Damn, she was already awake and she caught me off guard again.

Like the little boy she met twenty years ago, I scratched my head and I forgot about the lilies.

She giggled which made me blush. Who would have guessed that I could still be embarrassed by her giggling at me and my corny stuff?

"Smallville, we've been married for almost seven years and you still blush at being caught while you're kissing your wife." She chortled in amusement. "By the way, I also know what you did one summer in Smallville."

I raised my eyebrows not following what she had just told me. What did I do one summer? Was she just talking about one of her favorite movies? _I Know What You Did Last Summer_? The smile didn't leave her face.

She snickered, "Remember pain relievers and a pack of pads?"

My cheeks became a deep crimson when I finally realized what she wanted me to remember. "You were awake when I kissed you!" It was more than a statement than a question.

"Uh-huh."

I stood up as I watched her teasing me. "That was the first time I ever kissed a girl."

"I know." The smile on her lips never left. "That was my first too."

"First?" I asked with a playful smirk on my lips.

She took off her blanket and I was surprised to see her ready to go home dressed in her jeans and t-shirt. This was the real Lois Lane-Kent.

"I thought…" Then I paused. "Are you sure you can go home now? Should I call Dr. Hamilton?"

"No, don't call Emil. Yes, I'm ready to go home. Besides I miss Nathan so much. Where is our son, by the way?"

Sometimes Lois doubted she would be a great mother, but she was. I could tell she loved Nathan very much. Our family was her priority even over her work at the _Planet_.

"He's with Mom. I flew her to our apartment."

"And you trained our son in what to do when we're not with him, right? In case of emergencies?"

I nodded. "He even memorized Emil's number."

"Can't blame the kid's genes, Smallville. He's a Kent and a Lane."

"Emil called me after you were brought here. Nate called him when you passed out. I'm sorry I wasn't at home when it happened. Emil said you're fine, just need some rest." I put my free hand on her forehead which made her roll her eyes. Typical Lane. "He's right… Right?"

She grinned at my babbling. "Smallville, he's the doctor, not you. Don't worry about me, I know you're busy saving lives on the other side of Earth. Besides, I'm good because you're already here." She tapped my chest as she grabbed the flowers I hid behind my back. She smelled them before she continued, "Come on, Kent. Let's go home so we can celebrate with Mom and Nate."

"What are we celebrating?"

Lois stared at her lilies for awhile, "Thank you for the flowers and for helping me have another Lane-Kent. He or she will be right here in another eight months."

I was tongue-tied for a moment as she opened the door.

"I'm guessing that it'll be a little girl so we can have a balance. But I won't mind if it's another Nathan, because I'd never mind another little Clark."

She emerged out of the room, never realizing I was still standing in the same spot, stunned at the revelation that I was going to be a father again, not to mention we were each other's first kiss and her being awake that night. I would never get tired of her. This was really Lois Lane – full of surprises.

"Smallville?"

"Coming… But, Lo, just so you know, I would love to have a mini-Lois in the house. I'd spoil her for sure."

"Well, at least she couldn't be as hard-headed as me!" She turned around with her hands on her hips. I couldn't help but laugh at the sudden movement. The famous Mad-Dog Lane was staring back at me with big eyes.

"Why not? You can't blame a father for spoiling his daughter. Don't worry, Lo, we've raised Nathan right so far, we can do the same with her."

She hooked her arms with mine, "Sounds good. So let's go. We need to buy some mint chocolate ice cream for Nathan and vanilla for Mom."

"How about her?" I gently touched her still flat belly.

"Strawberry mixed with rocky road."

"Lo, that's a weird combination."

"So?"

I shook my head and realized, "Who can blame a husband for spoiling his lovely wife?"

I was really in seventh heaven as I heard Lois answering her phone. The shrieking sound on the other line made me smile even more.

"Hello baby!"

"Mommmmmyyyyyy! Daddy says I can't be there. When are you and Daddy going home?"

Being the gentleman, of course, I took the lilies from her and she whispered thank you to me. She grabbed my other hand as we walked through the hall. "We're going home Nate."

Definitely, we're going home.

\CKLL/

**Fin**

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